On 7 September 2015, I attended
the first lesson of this module (Effective Communications). It was also the
first tutorial class I had with my classmates. The atmosphere was still awkward
in the beginning as I was from a different orientation ('day zero') group.
Everything were still new for me as it has been two years since I last studied.
As we proceed with the module's
tutorials, various writing and oral skills were taught through numerous
activities through group discussions. These groups are frequently swapped as
this create opportunities for us to work with different people. Many ideas were
conveyed not just through verbal explanations but also with interesting videos.
There will always be a ‘debrief’ after each activity where Brad will get us to
provide ideas of what we learnt. He will then add on what were the things that
are done right. From drafting a summary of an article to reader response
essays, feedback was always given either through peers or Brad so that we can
improve on our assignment. This allow us to have a different perspective in our
writings as a writer will have a different opinion from a reader. It also instil
a self-reminder as we will constant question ourselves if the sentence is
conveying a clear message to the readers. The module then ended with a
technical proposal report and the oral presentation where feedback was also
given by peers and Brad. It is not easy to be providing feedback or receiving
feedback. It takes a lot of courage to receive and accept feedback from peers
to learn and improve from it. It is even harder to provide feedback to peers as
it may be sensitive to some people.
I strongly believes that these
writing and oral skills build out fundamental language skills which will be
useful in our future modules. University curriculum is not just about gaining
knowledge. Most of the modules will require project work and presentation
through either oral or written report. It is about gaining experiences through
oral presentations and report writing to build up our self-confidence and
language skills. I was glad that I was given the opportunity to showcase my group’s
project presentation.
This module definitely was
beneficial to build my foundational language skills before embarking on more
projects in the future modules.
Edited on 2 December 2015, Wednesday at 11.03am
Edited on 2 December 2015, Wednesday at 11.03am
Hi Kerrie,
ReplyDeleteI feel the same about what you explained. The lessons constructed were in a way, invigorating. The lessons were fun and exciting and I did not feel bored at all. From your reflection, I can see that you like this module and the things you have learnt will definitely help you in the future.
Cheers!
Nate
Hello Kerrie,
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that receiving feedback is sometimes a hard thing to take in.I most definitely agree with you that it is even harder to provide feedback to our peers as they might take it the wrong way. Nonetheless, when providing feedback i feel we must always have the intention that it is to improve them and not discouraged them.I was also glad that our group was given the opportunity to present our proposal to a larger audience.It is true that through gaining experience, we would most certainly improve our skills.Thank you for all the effort you had put in into our proposal :D
Best Regards,
Muhammad
Thank you, Kerrie, for this post. You overview the various assignments of the module and the way feedback was utilized. You also give your impression of the feedback exercise.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you can imagine any particular value with peer feedback beyond "a different perspective in our writing". Was giving feedback helpful? Also, would there be any way for you to receive it in future assignments?
Whatever the case, I'm grateful for your hard work and willingness to participate in these various activities with a positive attitude all term. You were an important member of the class, always ready to share from the perspective of someone who already had workplace experience. All the best now as you continue your study journey!